goddard



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-8heet 1.

G. O. GODDARD. STRIP FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR'PRINTING PRESSBS.

No. 572,793. Patented Dec. 8, 1896.-

WIT JEEEEE (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G .O.GODDA RD. STRIP FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR PRINTING PRBSSES. No. 572,793. A Patented Dec. 8, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE O. GODDARD, OF BROOKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASslGNOR TO FRED S. TOLMAN, OF SAME PLACE.

STRIP-FEEDING ATTACHMENT FOR PRlNTlNG-PRESSES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 572,793, dated December 8, 1896.

Application filed January 30, 1896. Serial No. 577,392. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE O. GODDARD, of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Strip-Feeding Attachments for Printing -Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object to provide an attachment for a printing-press of the oscillating-platen type, whereby a series of elongated strips, such as lengths of tape, ribbon, 850., may be held upon the platen to be simultaneously printed and fed automatically across the platen after each impression.

The invention consists in the several improvements which I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a portion of a printingpress provided with myimproved attachment. Fig. 2 represents a similar View of a part of the press. Fig. 3 represents a top View, and Fig. at an end view, of the improved attachment. Fig. 5 represents a section on line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 represents a viewof one of the flanged pressure-rolls.

The same letters and numerals of referenc indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents the platen, and a the movable carrier or jaw which supports the platen and is pivoted to oscillate upon the stud b, said jaw being moved to carry the platen toward and from the fixed jaw c of the press and the form affixed thereto by the driving-shaft of the press and suitable intermediate mechanism.

As my invention does not relate to the general construction and operation of the press, and as here shown is embodied in an attachment or adjunct which may be applied to any suitably-constructed press having an oscillating platen, I do not deem it necessary to further describe the construction of the press.

e represents a frame or bracket which -is aifixed by bolts 6 to the platen carrier or jaw a, said bracket, as here shown, including the base 2, which is bolted to the said jaw, the arms 3 3, projecting from the opposite ends of said base, and the enlargments 4 4, formed on said arms and provided with bearings 5 5,

crank 1', affixed to the driving-shaft of the press, preferably by being bolted to the large gear j on the said driving-shaft, and suitable intermediate mechanism, which is organized to compensate for the varying positions of the platen and feed-cylinder caused by the oscillations of the platen, and to impart an intermittent rotation to the feed cylinder. Said mechanism comprises a wrist-pin '5, adjustably secured to the crank 71, an arm 4?, mounted to oscillate loosely on the stud b, on which the movable jaw oscillates, said arm having a pawl i a rod or pitman tflconnecting said armand wrist-pin, aratchet tiloosely mounted on the stud b and engaged with the pawl i a bevel-gear i affixed to the ratchet, a bevel-gear t meshing with the gear 1' and journaled on a stud which is affixed to the bracket 6, a spur-gear i aflixed to the bevelgear 07, and a spur-gear 2' afiixed to the shaft f and meshing with the gear i The rotation of the gear j causes the crank 11 to oscillate the arm '6 and thus cause the pawl i to al ternately rotate and slip back upon the ratchet The partial rotary movements. thus imparted to the ratchet are transmitted to the feed-cylinder through the described gearing, the extent of the rotary movement being de termined by the adjustment of the wrist-pin 2' relatively to the axis of the driving-shaft.

The crank is preferably suitably marked or graduated to indicate the position of the wrist-pin i to produce a given length of feed movement.

The location of the arm 1?, ratchet i and gear t on the stud b, on which the jaw a, platen a, and feed-cylinder g oscillate, compensates for the oscillating motion of the platen and feed-cylinder, so that the feedoperating mechanism can transmit motion from the driving-shaft of the press to the feed-cylinder when the platen is at any point in its oscillating movement and while it is moving, the feed mechanism being at all times operative.

on m m represent a series of pressure-rolls which press a series of strips it against the feed-cylinder and cause the latter to feed the strips when rotated. in bearings in the shorter arms of levers m, which are mounted to oscillate on the rod m secured to the bracket 6. Each lever is pressed by a spring m in the direction required to force the pressure-rolls m toward the feed-cylinder, said spring being adjustable by means of an offset rod m to which its ends are connected, (the spring passing in the form of a loop around the'lever m,) a bar m to which said rod is attached, one end of the bar havingratchet-teeth, and a pawl m pivoted at m to the bracket 6 and engaged with one-of the teeth of the bar m A partial rotation of the bar m effected by a key or wrench applied to the squared endthereof, moves the rod m toward or from the levers m, and thus Varies the tension of the springs, the pawl m maintaining the tension.

To theend of the-platen opposite the end adjacent to the feed-cylinder is secured by means of brackets k across-bar 7i), across which pass aseries of the strips h to be printed. Said strips are yieldingly pressed down upon the bar by'a series of presser-feet k which are movable in guides 70 on a bar 70 affixed to the'bar 70,. said guides containing springs 7;, which press downwardly on the shanks'lc of the presser-feet, and are adjustable to vary the pressure by means of screw-caps k on said guides.

The portions of the strips h extending along the platen from the presserfeet to the feedcylinder are kept under suitable tension by the conjoint action of the feed-cylinder and pressure-rolls at one end and the presser-feet atthe'other end.

The platen is provided with adjustable guides or n, between which the strips h pass and by which they are kept in the-proper positions on the bed, said strips being adjustably secured by means of screws a, passing throughslots n in bars 72 affixed at their ends to'the platen and extending across the guides 17.. To the bracket 6 is affixed a crossbar 0, having guide-fingers 0 extending nearly to'the points where the strips h are grasped by the feed-cylinder and pressurerolls, said fingers being secured to the bar 0 by screws 0 which, when loosened, permit the fingers to be laterally adjusted by swingin gv on the screws.

The operation is as follows: The strips to be printed being in place on the platen, the latter being retracted, operation of the press is commenced. The crank 2' is arranged so forward movement of the platen toward the form and during the printing operation, the

Said rolls are journaled on the ratchet in passing from one of said positions to the other. During the backward movement of the pawl the ratchet is loose and free, so that it yields to the swinging movement of the gear 1 caused by the forward movement of the platen, and does not cause a partial rotation of said gear and of the feedcylinder, as would be the case if the ratchet were held stationary at this time. lVhile the crank is moving onward from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 1 it moves the pawl forward and causes a partial rotation of the feed-cylinder, this-movement, or the greater part thereof, taking place while the platen is at the rear extreme of its movement. It will be seen, therefore, that the strips are fed forward simultaneously after each impression and that by an adjustment of the wrist-pin z" of the crank a feed movement of any desired length can be obtained.

The adj ustability of the guides on the platen enables strips of various widths to=be accurately guided, so that they will register correctly with the printing-characters on the ;form,wh ile the presserfeet andpressure-rolls insure the proper tension on the strips, the

tension being adjustable, as described. The

pressure-rolls are provided with flanges'm, which cause them to bear only onthe edges of the strip and to avoid contact with the printed portions thereof.

To provide for the usual movements of the movable parts of the press without operating the feed mechanism during the operation of inking, preparatory to printing, I provide means for temporarily displacing the pawl t Said pawl has a rearwardly-projecting arm 2 over which is a screw 2 which, when turned down, raises the pawl fromthe ratchet.

When the screw is raised, a spring vl restores the pawl to engagement with the ratchet.

It will be seen that the described strip-feeding mechanism is simple, positive in its action, and not liable to derangement.

To prevent the too-forcible downward or backward movement of the platen in consequence of the weight of the described attach- ,ments, I provide buffer-springs s, interposed between the platen-carrier a and a fixed ear 8 on the supporting-frame, said springsbeing retained in place by rods 8 jointed at s to :the carrier or and movable through holes in the ear 8. The springs yieldingly resist the downward movement of the platen and prevent a shockor jar when said movement is arrested.

that the feed-cylinder will remain at rest L during the whole or the greater part of the i I clai1 1. Ina printing=-press,the combination with ]an oscillating platen and a rotary drivingshaft, journaled in fixed bearings, of afecd roll or cylinder journaled in bearings which move with the platen, a crank affixed to the driving-shaft, and connecting mechanism intermediate the said feed-cylinder and crank, said mechanism having means for compensating for the varying positions of the platen and feed-cylinder, and for intermittently rotating the feed-cylinder.

2. In a printing-press, the combination with an oscillating platen and a rotary drivingshaft, of a feed roll or cylinder journaled in bearings which move with the platen, a crank which moves with the driving-shaft, a gear mounted to rotate on the center of oscillation of the platen, connections between said gear and the crank, whereby an intermittent rotation is imparted to the gear from the continuously-revolving crank, and connections between the gear and feed-cylinder whereby the intermittent rotation of the gear is transmitted to the feed-cylinder. I

3. In a printing-press, the combination with an oscillating platen and a rotary drivingshaft, of a feed roll or cylinder journaled in bearings which move with the platen, a crank which moves with the drivingshaft, a gear mounted to rotate on the center of oscillation of the platen, a ratchet affixed to said gear, an arm mounted to oscillate on said center and provided with a pawl, a rod connecting said arm with the crank, and connections between said gear and the feed-cylinder.

4. In a printing-press, the combination with an oscillating platen and a rotary drivingshaft, of a strip-feeding mechanism comprising a feed roll or cylinder journaled in bearings which move with the platen, a crank movable with the driving-shaft, intermediate connections through which the continuous revolution of the crank is converted into an intermittent rotation of the feed-cylinder, said connections'including a ratchet and pawl and means for displacing the pawl from its operative position to make said feeding mechanism temporarily inoperative.

5. A printing-press comprising an oscillating platen, a feed-cylinder and cooperating pressure-rolls at one end of the platen, a series of presser-feet at the opposite end of the platen, intermediate guides on the surface of the platen, and means for intermittently r0- tating the feed-cylinder.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 24th day of January, A. D. 1896.

GEORGE O. GODDARD.

Witnesses:

F. S. TOLMAN, W. A. REED. 

